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Post by armando on Nov 29, 2020 5:42:45 GMT -7
I'm going to ask Santa for a ball old this year but wasn't sure which size to get for my 45cal flintlocks.
I've been using my 50cal Ox Yoke patches .015 with my 45 ball and it's been working well, so would the 440 Ball mold be the correct one?
Also, would else would I need to run some ball? Lead pot? Ladle?
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Post by Black Hand on Nov 29, 2020 6:39:50 GMT -7
The .440 mold should work. A ladle is helpful and one can be made from a piece of sheet copper or steel. A lead pot will allow you to do more volume - I tend to melt small amounts of lead in my ladle when casting (I do have a small cast-iron pot I found in a thrift store, but I haven't used it in years).
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Post by hawkeyes on Nov 29, 2020 6:58:10 GMT -7
  I have six molds by Larry Callahan, wouldn't choose another and frankly don't think there are any others available today (besides originals) worth buying. I run ball strictly from my bag molds, nothing else. Larry will resize your mold for free, for life. So, if you purchase a .440 and find your rifle likes another size he will do that for you. Personally unless you can snag an original antique mold of similar size his are top notch in quality, authenticity and precision. He has a large collection of original molds he based his from and he would be glad to show you. Very swell fella to do business with. Besides the mold, as BH mentioned a copper ladle can be made from sheet copper, as you can see in the image. That's it... Oh, you'll most certainly want to wrap the scissor handles with leather otherwise they get rather uncomfortable after about two uses. Also I always preheat my mold by placing the mold cavity upon a bed of coals before use for obvious reasons. My newest 310 mold... the size difference between the two just makes me chuckle.  I also like to shoot a looser ball, my .58 will shoot a loose ball (tow over powder, tow over ball) very well for my purposes. I'm only concerned with hunting accuracy but consistency isn't a concern with these molds. Your ball is perfect each time you pour.  Did win a recent shoot with that one shot on a .565 loose ball in my smoothbore. The top right was actually my friends .36 I shot for the first time... Needless to say I know we're mine shoots and what it likes. Regardless of the size you choose, get out and shoot her. |
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Post by artificer on Nov 30, 2020 0:06:20 GMT -7
I have six molds by Larry Callahan, wouldn't choose another and frankly don't think there are any others available today (besides originals) worth buying. I run ball strictly from my bag molds, nothing else. Larry will resize your mold for free, for life. So, if you purchase a .440 and find your rifle likes another size he will do that for you. Hawkeyes, Have you ever weighed the balls from the Callahan molds to see how uniform they are? Gus |
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Post by hawkeyes on Nov 30, 2020 4:50:17 GMT -7
I have six molds by Larry Callahan, wouldn't choose another and frankly don't think there are any others available today (besides originals) worth buying. I run ball strictly from my bag molds, nothing else. Larry will resize your mold for free, for life. So, if you purchase a .440 and find your rifle likes another size he will do that for you. Hawkeyes, Have you ever weighed the balls from the Callahan molds to see how uniform they are? Gus Yes, everyone is on point as I'd expect. These are machined cavities and while variations exist with any mechanical processes none I've found are noticeable. Worth noting, every mold I have made is a loose ball, little undersized. Each gun once dialed in shoots better than myself. I'm not a bench shooter and care less for that type of accuracy as its not practical for my purposes, nor is casting a hundred plus ball in a setting. Each mold produces a ball that does exactly as I'd expect. For what your getting concerning the somewhat crude nature of casting over a fire the precision and repeatedly of what your final product is I'd say cannot be beat. I've never had any reason to cast ball or buy for that matter by looking elsewhere or at other methods. For a woodsman who hunts and shoots regularly, couldn’t ask for anything more out of these molds. |
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